Welcome to this special recap of Your Pharmacy Career podcast, proudly produced by Raven’s Recruitment - Australia’s experts in pharmacy career and locum services for over 30 years.
In this episode ofYour Pharmacy Career Podcast, hosted by Krysti-Lee Patterson and produced by Raven’s Recruitment, Adele shares her journey from French-educated student in Lebanon to a powerhouse of Australian community pharmacy.
Episode Summary
At just seven years old, Adele Tahan knew she wanted to be a pharmacist. What began as a childhood aspiration has since blossomed into an incredible career defined by resilience, innovation, and national advocacy.
From navigating business ownership in her early 20s to leading national conversations on pharmacy practice reform, Adele’s story is rich with lessons in courage, grit, and vision. She speaks candidly about motherhood, cultural transitions, political advocacy, and the challenges of building (and rebuilding) pharmacies from scratch—all while championing the future of community pharmacy in Australia.
Key Takeaways from the Episode
A Lifelong Calling: Adele’s passion for pharmacy started young, and she remained steadfast in her pursuit—choosing pharmacy over other health careers for its balance of community connection, professional respect, and entrepreneurial opportunity.
Business Ownership at 20-Something: Adele designed and launched her first pharmacy in Campbelltown shortly after returning from a hospital pharmacy stint in the UK. She later purchased and rebuilt her Rozelle pharmacy from the ground up.
The Power of Advocacy: In 2008, Adele spearheaded a grassroots campaign to stop the NSW government from acquiring her Rozelle pharmacy. It involved petitions, rallies, and political meetings, culminating in a successful outcome that preserved her business and became a catalyst for her future advocacy.
Motherhood and Pharmacy: Raising twins as a single mother while running a full-time pharmacy hasn’t slowed Adele down. She shares that being a mother is her greatest achievement—yet she continues to show up daily with passion and commitment to her profession.
Real Political Impact: Adele played a key role in lobbying both state and federal government officials—including Prime Minister Anthony Albanese—on pharmacy matters. Her behind-the-scenes work contributed significantly to shaping the 8th Community Pharmacy Agreement and scope of practice reforms in NSW.
Practical Ownership Advice: For young or aspiring pharmacy owners, Adele recommends surrounding yourself with experienced advisors (especially pharmacy-savvy lawyers and accountants), doing thorough due diligence, and not letting fear stop you. Buying an existing pharmacy offers cash flow security, but building from scratch allows full creative control.
Leading with Empathy: Adele emphasises that at the heart of healthcare is care. Whether it’s treating a patient with a compounded medicine on a Sunday afternoon or mentoring a young pharmacist, empathy is non-negotiable in her view.
Political Connections Are Built, Not Given: Adele’s story is a testament to the long game of influence. Her sustained, respectful relationships with MPs and ministers over years—regardless of political party—have led to tangible change.
Legacy and Leadership: Whether it’s through designing services, training staff, or shaping national policy, Adele's leadership continues to pave the way for the next generation of pharmacists—including possibly her own twins.
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Full Episode Transcript
Speaker 2 (00:01.068)
Welcome to Your Pharmacy Career Podcast, proudly produced by Raven's Recruitment, the experts in pharmacy career and locum services for over 30 years. Every episode is your gateway to new opportunities in the pharmacy profession. From expert advice to inspiring success stories, we're here to spark ideas, guide your career and help you achieve your goals. Stay tuned. The next step in your pharmacy journey starts here.
Hello and welcome back to Your Pharmacy Career podcast. I'm Krysti-Lee Patterson and today I'm really thrilled to be joined by Adele Tahan, the owner of the Adore Pharmacy in Rozelle, Sydney. Adele's career is nothing short of inspiring. She has vaccinated thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of people during COVID-19 pandemic and she's built and established her own pharmacy businesses from scratch.
And she's even been a strong voice in pharmacy advocacy with her work with the eighth community pharmacy agreement. Adele, thank you so much for joining me on the podcast today.
Krysti-Lee, it's my pleasure and thank you for inviting me. Very humble.
Thank you. Well, I always like to start at the beginning and I ask everyone the same question in the beginning and that's what inspired you to become a pharmacist.
Speaker 1 (01:17.838)
That's a great question. That's what I actually, as part of my interview questions for any new pharmacist I try to hire. It's a small, very short story. I was seven years old and I was sitting between mom and dad. You know, that conversation comes up. What you're going to do when you grow up? I thought, oh, know, dentistry. I'm not sure if I want to be staring in someone's mouth all day. Medicine, great profession. It's such a noble profession, but I don't want to studying for 20 years.
When I grow up, I'm going to have my own pharmacy. That would be a really great profession. You help people, you make a difference in their lives. It's a very respected profession and you'll never be out of work. And given the fact that my mom used to be a nurse and my dad was a factory owner, he comes from a small business background, I thought it was a great future career for myself to be an owner of a community pharmacy.
And that was just when I was seven.
Wow, that's amazing. as much as I've known you, I'm not really surprised. I feel like you get an idea in your head and then you just stick to it. So I'm not surprised that you had that idea when you were seven and you ended up doing it. So well done.
Thank you. I think you know me very well. I'm the type who doesn't think anything is impossible. I've been very blessed to grow up in a very loving household with a very supportive mom and dad and brothers. But I could just put all the credit to my mom and dad because they supported me 100 % in any decision I took.
Speaker 1 (02:56.974)
Of course, I'm like everyone else now, I'm not perfect, but their love and support was very, very important to my life.
I can definitely see that in you. Now I guess speaking of your family and where you've grown up, you were actually French educated. So is French your first language or is English your first language?
Pretty much yes. Yes, so that is correct. I went to a French private school. It was basically growing up in Lebanon. The school I went to, did either English or French, but the school I went to was mostly French. That means that I studied all the sciences from math to biology to chemistry to physics, plus French literature.
Plus, you you learn things in Arabic like history and philosophy and geography. Plus, you learn also Arabic literature, which is a lot difficult than many other languages. And then from high school onwards, we have to study English as well. So when I graduated doing the French baccalaureate or the IB, International Baccalaureate, I was fluent in three languages.
Well, I was going to ask you about your own family life and I guess that's probably perfect timing. Now, you've got two twins and they're with you today. I can hear them in the background. How has that gone for you? Like you've worked in pharmacy your whole life, done your own thing and we will touch on that pharmacy career, but I think this is a good time to chat about your twins. Yeah, you're raising twins and you're owning a business at the same time.
Speaker 2 (04:35.55)
Can you just tell us a little bit about that journey and yeah, how has that shaped who you are?
Sure, sure, Krysti- Lee. Look, I've always wanted to be a mother. I would say becoming a mother is the greatest achievement of my life. Bigger than being a pharmacist and running a business. The love and the affection and the inspiration that I get from my 29 months old, the twins, is just inspiring. I don't know. It's hard for me to describe it because it's such a fulfilling...
You know giving birth and raising them and now they're like 29 months and one of them you've seen them just a minute early They're just so happy. They're thriving. They're growing. I just can't believe that like three years ago They weren't around and now they're almost running the household I would say being up becoming a mother is like really the greatest thing I've ever done and I mean the amount of love I get from them and give them it just
I can't describe it. I'm sure many mothers out there and parents and fathers out there, they know exactly what I'm referring to. I mean, as you know, I'm a very passionate person and I can't imagine myself doing anything that I'm not 100 % passionate about, where I really love what I do. And look, it's hard. I'm not saying it's not hard. Everything is hard. Running a business, studying to be a pharmacist, changing over from
full on French to full on English. That is challenges, but you know what? The journey is, it was very exciting. And I, every day I would just today thinking that hopefully next week at Pharmacy Connect, we'll hear an announcement about the dermatology trials and it'll become business as usual. So then everybody out there in the state of New South Wales can actually deliver such service to all the patients everywhere. So that's quite exciting. I'm hoping that we will hear good news, but.
Speaker 1 (06:36.014)
It's just a small announcement like that can make me happy, can make me feel more energetic, more energized to continue on learning, continue on delivering. But yeah, my kids, they're the greatest gift I've ever had. And, you know, I'm raising them as a single mother, but I think it's a lot easier to be a single mother sometimes. I do have a big army of nannies and babysitters and
They do attend childcare Monday to Friday. And look, I mean, they're doing extremely well. And the main thing we're all healthy, we're happy, peace. And that's very, very, you can't put a cost on it. It's priceless.
Yeah, that's just amazing. And I'm just, I've seen the little ones from when they were literally babies. And yet you doing it on your language is so inspiring. Like I come see you in the pharmacy and you've got them in the playpen and still running the business and you've got your dog there as well, which I love. But you just get on with the day. And I just think that's really, yeah, really inspiring. And as you said, like it's hard, life's hard.
it's not meant to be easy, but you just get on and find people around you that can help you. But if we can maybe just go backwards to when you started your pharmacy business, you were quite young. I believe you were in your early 20s, is that right?
That is correct. Yes, because I finished my degree in 96. And as you know, you graduate the following year around March. So by 97, March 97, I graduated. I was registered by October 97. And then I went to the UK in 99, where I worked in hospitals, Reading Hospital and Frenchay Hospital in Bristol.
Speaker 1 (08:26.606)
And they offered me a lot of jobs, but I got so homesick I ran back home. And then within, and that was by year 2000. And then by the end of 2000, I, you know, I pretty much bought a license in Campbelltown and I designed and built the medical center pharmacy in Campbelltown and the big medical center on Queen Street. I started there. And three years later, I purchased the Roselle pharmacy.
And I purchased it because as you may know, my younger brother is also a pharmacist and well, he's got another degree before that. And when he couldn't find a job in forensic science, I said, well, why don't you go and study pharmacy? So he took it on board and four years later he became a registered pharmacist. So I wanted to help him. Cause as you know, it's quite hard to get to become an owner and you know, any support. And it was quite hard for me. took me two years to get in, but maybe like.
Well, it's maybe a bit over two years, but I was so eager to make my dreams a reality and to put them in practice that I've created also solutions I needed to become an owner. And by 2007, I was designing my third pharmacy, which also was built from scratch and that was in the shopping center in Campbelltown. The Rozelle pharmacy that I still own and run. I've always owned and ran on my own.
I also redesigned the entire site and rebuilt it from scratch. So I've had a lot of influence over design system processes, banner, marketing, also branding services. As you know, Rozelle was built from scratch as well. We introduced compounding when vaccination was allowed in New South Wales, we built the two rooms and right now the pharmacy does all the services that.
any pharmacist in New South Wales can provide. So I love what I do and I feel like I'll probably be a pharmacist forever. And I'll be also continuing on delivering services forever, as long as I can, of course. I mean, if I know my kids, my kids, they probably are doing exactly what I'm doing. They even walk like me. Why is my son walking so quickly? And then I'm like, but...
Speaker 3 (10:36.898)
Scared me!
Speaker 1 (10:41.846)
Hold on, I don't think the app will fall far away from the tree.
Well, you never know, maybe one of the twins might carry on the legacy.
Absolutely, it'll be very exciting journey.
That's exactly right. Well, I'm sure no matter what they put their minds to, they'll be amazing at it. And yeah, with the same support that your parents gave you, I'm sure you will support them 100 % in whatever that is. So for some of our listeners, a lot are early career pharmacists or they might be considering ownership themselves. What advice would you give a young pharmacist that is wanting to maybe, maybe they've found a couple of pharmacies?
Yeah, so when you're trying to decide maybe like building one from the ground up or buying an existing pharmacy, you've done both. What advice would you give to a young pharmacist that maybe is deciding yet to do one or the other?
Speaker 1 (11:39.182)
Okay, well first of all, I would encourage any pharmacist to pursue their dreams and to build a network of support around them. There's always pharmacists who, know, pharmacists love to help and we always give free advice in order to help people and to help another pharmacist to get into ownership is something that I would love personally and I know so many other pharmacists would. I would tell young pharmacists that it's rewarding, it's hard work.
But it's worth it. And like anything in life, you can't get anywhere in life without hard work. Unless you're a game-blind, you think you're going to win by just trying your luck. And I don't believe in luck. I believe in being present and being 98 % committed to doing something or even 100%. But you might have a 2 % luck, but at the end of the day, it's showing up. Buying an existing business, that means there is a cashflow.
As you know, cash is queen, not king, it's queen. And establishing business from scratch also has got its merit depend on where it is and how big the business is, what sort of support around you for marketing and banner and wholesalers. But there's always the element that you're not going to have the cash flow that you'll be relying on if you buy an existing goodwill. And you know, cash is queen.
Without it really, when you, I don't know if you've done the AICD, the Australian Institute of Company Directors, but you'd know that the statement of cashflow is the most important statement out of all the other potential statements. And yeah, and also you'll have a good will and then you can work on it and expand it.
exactly right. think having a business and starting it from scratch, the cash flow is very hard when you're starting something from nothing. It's really difficult. I think not that buying an existing pharmacy is going to be easy, but I think it would probably, like you said, you've got that goodwill there. maybe, especially if you're maybe for first time buyers, that might be a good option to look at something like that.
Speaker 1 (13:46.52)
The other piece of advice I would tell anyone, young and more mature pharmacists out there is go for it. Don't be afraid. Do your due diligence. Get surrounded by a good accountant who understands pharmacy, a good lawyer who understand the legal requirements of pharmacy ownership and running it. And also educate yourself. Read, find out information, ask your friends and colleagues.
get into the circle of influence where there are a very smart driven successful pharmacist and I know thousands of them to be honest and I think what you've got to go for is your passion again. You're passionate and everything falls into place but don't be afraid and there will always be people who will tell you it's hard and it's difficult and you got to work hard and you got to do this and you got to do that but you know what that's
of life.
everywhere, whatever we choose to do, it's hard work. And I always said that to my mother, my late mother, if she passed away last year, I said, Mom, you know, I never got anywhere in life without hard work, but it's worth it. I do encourage anybody to pursue that option. It's very rewarding.
then you get the chance to do all the things you want in your business. You can innovate, can put in new services, you can remit services if you didn't feel it fits in with your vision. And you can even create things like you, Krysti- Lee. You're one of the people I admire and I love what you came up with with your learning platform. And you know, I tell all the new pharmacists I'm interviewing to subscribe to it and learn from it. So.
Speaker 1 (15:31.274)
It's a great service.
Thank you. means so much to me. And yeah, you're right. think, yeah, this go for it is great advice and you might not get it right all the time, but you've got to give it a go. Right. And like you said, there are always going to be people that would give you reasons why you can't do something or you shouldn't do something. And a lot of the time, like I know in my experience, I don't know if it's your experience as well, but sometimes it's the people that haven't done those things that are so willing to give you this advice.
And sometimes it actually comes from their own, I guess, maybe issues within themselves. yeah, rather than being supportive, it's maybe that they're not happy in what they're doing in their selves or something instead. Whereas I find people that have done those things or done something different, they're the ones that are more supportive of people trying new things. that sort of, would you say that that's affecting your experience?
Absolutely, 100%. I think if you have some people that you trust and they love you and respect you, they're the ones you could, you know, consult them. But there's a lot of people who will give you a million reasons why you shouldn't do it. And unfortunately, these people haven't done anything. How can you possibly know this about pharmacy?
I'm sorry.
Speaker 1 (16:54.952)
I mean, even now, like you'll probably be surprised. There's certain people I know, unfortunately, their family who continue on giving me lectures, even though I've been like owing multiple pharmacies on my own and running them. You know, I just stopped even talking to these people about any projects, similar to the projects I mentioned to you before the recording started. It's always surprising how
They tend to give you an opinion, even though you didn't ask for it. Thank you. I'm not asking. I'm just mentioning it. And then now I'm like at this stage, well, there's no point talking to that person about anything because I already know the answer or they know all the answers, but they've never done.
Yes, that's exactly it. That's so funny. But yeah, I think you're surrounding yourself with people that are supportive and positive. And yeah, I think one of the things that I've realized in my career so far is it's not necessarily quantity but quality. So the people around you, yeah, you might not have all these people, you'll have heaps of people that you know, and like can connect with. And it's nice to catch up with them at conferences. But yeah, the quality.
Speaker 2 (18:11.53)
is definitely fewer, but I'm quite happy with that.
Yeah, absolutely. And you know what? They will start creating problems that you've never heard of. This is nothing personal, by the way. I think they themselves don't believe that they can do it. And they try to impose their beliefs and their values on what you're trying to do, even though they don't know you very well. And they've never seen you performing. And like, I'm thinking, well, no, you haven't done anything. How can you come and tell me I can't do something that I know I've done it before?
You know, one of the things that I've done, and I'll just mention it like, because I think it's quite relevant. When I used to be on the Guild, as you know, I was a National Councilor and I was on the Government Relations and Public Relations team. We were drafting the strategic plan for the part of the Government Relations and Public Relations.
And part of that, you know, it's all about the details and how detailed we get into it. And I remember very clearly we had that meeting in Canberra at the Guild's head office and the government relations and public relations, which is the biggest one at the Guild was in meeting and in strategy. And we were writing on the board all the things I want to see happening. And I started writing all scope of practice things, like from A to Z. I said, that's what I want. I want everything in New South Wales. And then
I remember David Heffernan looked at me and he had a very soft smile on his face. I'm like, that's, he's probably thinking, yeah, Del goes for everything. She's just like, once it just going to get it. But interesting enough in November 23, Dominique Perrotet announced at the press conference on Sunday morning. remember I drove all the way to up the North to Montevale and he made this announcement that if his government get reelected at the March 23 elections.
Speaker 1 (20:01.118)
he will enable full scope of practice in New South Wales. But better still, that pharmacists will be able to prescribe the oral contraceptive pill. And at the time, we were the first and only state in the entire country was able to do so. Queensland wasn't even able to do it. So we went from the bottom of the pack to leading the pack. And that was just such an amazing event because
the vision statement that I was writing it down.
It actually happened.
Fast forward a year ago, 1st of September, 2004, I don't know if you recall if you were at Pharmacy Connect, but Ryan Park announced that all fully trained pharmacists as per the Queensland's global practice will be able to prescribe for all the conditions, excluding chronic conditions, from the 1st of January, 2025. However, unfortunately, I haven't been on the Guild and fast forward 1st of January, this didn't happen and hopefully,
Keeping my fingers crossed that they would have been able to get it through. I'm sure the team is trying their best, but sometimes, you know, other people see other people doing it, they think it's easy. When they started doing it, they go, it's not as easy. So, but anyhow, it's all good. I mean, I'm hoping that we'll have good news next week. We'll hear it.
Speaker 3 (21:15.31)
You
Speaker 2 (21:22.118)
Yeah, so hopefully when people are listening to this, we'll be able to celebrate with the announcement, which will be really exciting. that's a good segue Adele to chat about your advocacy. And you've been on the Guild for a number of years and you were actually involved with the Community Pharmacy Agreement. So for some of the people that are maybe listening that aren't really aware of what that actually is and why that is important to pharmacy.
And maybe if you can also share about your experience of that was as well.
Yeah, sure. Now, thank you for the question. Look, I was having dinner with a group of three pharmacists on Friday night. It was one of them's birthday we were celebrating. As you know, she was just, we were talking about announcements, global practice, you know, as you would talk with pharmacists who are like-minded. And I said to her that, you know, I know the announcements coming up and she said, you're not with the guild anymore. Like, and I'm like, yeah, I'm not with the guild, but I said to her,
The reason I was with the Guild is because of the advocacy I started back in 2008 and 2009. I said to her, I ran this big campaign to stop the state government back in 2008 from acquiring my pharmacy in Rozelle. And that campaign, part of that campaign was a big massive petitions. I was seeing ministers at Parliament House.
Sy Banks was coming with me to all those meetings. He was like a spectator basically. I was running the meetings, those political meetings with transport ministers, with shadow transport ministers, with various other ministers from the state. And I was advocating against the acquisition of my pharmacy. And then I organized the rally. And not long ago, I was actually looking at the photos of the rally and...
Speaker 1 (23:10.606)
I think there was over a thousand people who showed up at Bob's Valley. And fast forward to 2010, you probably were too young to remember, but Christina Keneally was made Premier of New South Wales. She was replaced, she replaced Nathan Rees. And on her appointment as Premier, she announced that the project of the acquisition, which is the Sydney Metro, will be cancelled.
That means it won't be, my pharmacy won't be acquired by the state government. She thought I was on the guild because that's how my access to politicians. And I said to her, actually, I was the one who was allowing the enabling the access to politicians for the guild. I quickly mentioned that campaign that I ran and that campaign was successful. And it was quite, again, like people kept on telling me why I should give up and why I shouldn't worry about it and why I shouldn't do anything. And I'm like, no, I'm doing it.
And I did it. I went around all the property owners. They gave me funds to run the campaign. The local council assisted me. They even distributed my leaflets. It was a full-blown campaign. It's like I created websites, auditions. We went around door knocking the whole of Darling Street from Roselle to, from Lilyfield going through Roselle to Balmain and Bursch Grove. And we pushed hard and we had enormous support from the community. And that
You know, all the good things you did for your local community, came back a thousand times. They were writing letters, they came to the rally, they were making phone calls and eventually, eventually we were spared and my pharmacy is still there. And one of my very good friends, Richard Walsh, he said to me, Adele, you've already proven yourself. You've done it. And I was a bit kind of taken back because, you do things and you don't realize what you've done.
Really, I've actually made history. And now the project behind me is going, the Leaks Club is being built. As you know, I'm not sure if you've heard of, they're building around 227 dwellings with a massive car park and a supermarket underground. So yeah, and then since then I realized, you know, I was the type of person who was more interested in music rather than politics. And now I'm on what I watch is Q &A and the news.
Speaker 3 (25:34.326)
Stop.
I know everything that's happening in politics is pretty boring and scary at the same time, but I absolutely love it. to continue, even though I haven't been on the guild now for almost 12 months, but I love my politics. Then two weeks ago, I was at a function with Chris Nins and various other federal and state ministers. they're so, since that campaign and how it all happened, I realized how important it is to
build strong relationship and friendship with your local MPs. You know, since that campaign also, I started being included in lot of political activities by the gilgames being invited to various functions. And I remember the functions in 2013, I think before Tony Abbott became prime minister and we went to a function, he came to our table and was just.
chatting to side banks and other various guild officials at the time. And I remember asking him, said, can you please enlarge DM5? It's just like, it's too small. It's only two lanes. I mean, how can you make like a massive motorway in Sydney? And there's only two lanes. Like Western Sydney is going to be like the biggest next city in the country. And you've only got two lanes connecting the main CBD of Sydney or, you know, the Sydney Metro to the main Campbelltown part. He said, yeah, yeah, we will do it. And then, you know,
Within a couple of years, it started being done and being expanded. So it's great. I'm sure it wasn't just me. It would have been a lot of other people, you know, advocating for it. But it just, it's important to have those private conversations. Many stories have happened like that. The other story that happened is fast forward when Emma McBride got elected.
Speaker 1 (27:14.932)
as an MP and Emma and I, went to uni together. So I've known Emma, I also supported her in her campaign because she approached the Guild and Guild threw some parties for her and supported her. you know, we reconnected after so many years because, you know, it's been 10 years or even 20 years since we, 10 years since we got registered. she, said to Holuka, I'd like to invite Albanese to my pharmacy. As you know, she's a Labour MP.
and he was the local member and then local federal member where I live and where my pharmacy is. Fast forward the second day I had a call from his office saying, yeah, we can come tomorrow and have morning tea. So here I am organizing morning tea for Anthony and he was meant to be there for like half an hour. think he was there for an hour and a half. We did like we organized the morning tea with French patisserie and coffees and we invited some of the locals and he absolutely loved it.
And since then, he started inviting me and my brother and my, all my staff to all of his functions in inner city. This is how we slowly build up the relationship with him. And that was back in 2016. There are some photos of that event on my website, on adult pharmacies website. You know, people think, yeah, how did you manage to go and see the, the PM? And I'm like, well, you know, like anything in life, you're going to build it. You're going to work on it. It's hard work. And it's all based on trust.
You can't build a relationship with anyone when you're going to backstab them. You've got to really have that trust factor and that ties in with respect. And that's how he, he, became friends. And, and when the opportunity came, when we had the 60 days saga, I don't know if I'm sure you recall, it hasn't been long ago. I was the only one that he met with. They brought him.
to his electoral office in Marrickville where I met with him one-on-one. There was not even anyone else in the room except his media advisor was in there as well. And then afterwards, the next meeting was when we were negotiating the HCPA and by the 28th of February, 2024, the Guild was nowhere near getting an agreement. They were meeting with the department, several meetings, they were hitting loggerheads and
Speaker 1 (29:30.722)
You know, in the meantime, there were a lot of text messages going backward and forward between me and Anthony Albanese. And then, you know, the 28th of February was critical because the first of March were the deadline for the new agreement. So I contacted him. said, I'd love to go and see you. A meeting was arranged. I took my twins, drove to Canberra, met him in his office on the 28th of February in the morning around 10.30. And that's when we negotiated part of the agreements. The most.
important part of the agreements. One of them was the dollar discount, how it has to be removed, how we need specific compensation for 60 days. You know, one of the conversations I remember very clearly when he said to me, I can't do this. No, I can't. I said, well, if you're the Prime Minister of Australia, you can't do this, then who will? And then he probably stopped and he goes,
Speaker 3 (30:26.766)
Ciao!
To the date, the Pharmacy Guild of Australia signed the head of agreement at APP. It was the 13th of March on the Gold Coast. The day before, there were all the officials from the Department of Health. They flew to the Gold Coast. We were in meeting. We were in session. The National Council was in session. And all of a sudden, I see all these people leaving the meeting and disappearing. In the afternoon, Trent Toomey said to us, we've had them all here.
the secretary of the Department of Health, the assistant secretary, all of those people flew in with their legal counsel and we've just signed the head of agreement. And these are the details of the agreements, which no doubt you will be able to remember or find it. And so yeah, that was pretty impressive. And of course, of the part of the deal was, okay, you give us the agreement with all the things we want and you become the godfather of my twins. course, he just would have.
You
couldn't wait to be the godfather because he's never been the godfather apparently. That's what Jodie Hayden said to us, his fiance. But you know, the advocacy continues and I'm still very much involved on a political level. And it's not just within the Labour Party that I'm involved. I mean, I live in a Labour dominant area. I do have some of the values that the Labour Party believes in and love and I believe in it like healthcare, education, that I believe that everyone
Speaker 3 (31:33.283)
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (31:54.336)
should have access to it. If we're not healthy, we can't work. We can't live a good life. We can't pay our taxes. The more educated and empowered we are, the better the jobs and what we can produce. But I think most importantly is how we can help other people. While raising my children, this is the biggest thing I want them to do, is to be able to help other people, to be kind and compassionate. And I think this is more important than anything that anybody can do. David Malabo, he's a South African.
scholar, said, people don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care. Care is, is, and you know, health has care in it, it's healthcare. So we're healthcare professionals. We've got to have this empathy right in the middle of what we do every single day, in every single conversation. And it's just so fulfilling. Honestly, I just always get surprised at how people forget that. But yeah, I had a function.
couple of weeks ago with Chris Mendes and see Chris's parents in law used to live in Roselle and they used to come to my pharmacy for a long time. His father in law Tom, unfortunately he had Parkinson's. His condition got a lot worse and he had to relocate with Chris and his daughter Anna who's married to Chris. And when Chris saw me he goes, you know.
Catherine and Tom, they love you. They love your pharmacy. They love you. And I'm like, I love them too. And how is Tom? And that's when he said to me, he's unfortunately passed away. And then he said, a week later, my father passed away. And I'm like, I'm so sorry. And then he put his hand on my shoulder. We had a good photo. And I said, look, whatever it is, we're not in the queue anymore in scope. We want to be at the end of the queue. Can you please make it happen? Just...
Put the bureaucrat on the side, they have a job to do, but you're the leader and you're the elected official and it's on you.
Speaker 3 (33:51.4)
listen next week. Bye-bye.
see what happens. I like what you said though about care in regards to healthcare and I think yeah sometimes we can forget that and I think yeah as pharmacists almost all of us I would say got into it because we want to help people and what's inspiring to me is to see someone such as yourself that's been in the industry on the ground in the face of that through so many different ups and downs like
global financial crisis, COVID, as well as just everything else, everyday life, ups and downs, having twins, but you still show up every day, you're still working full time, but you can still hear and see the passion. And I hope that I am still as passionate and then throughout the future, I'm still as passionate every day. But I think, yeah, if we can try and remember that care component of it and...
When I reflect on my interactions with customers or patients, I had one the other day and it was just one patient, like it was busy. could have just, she needed something for thrush and I could have just handed her what she asked for and sent her on her way. But after the conversation turned out that I felt like it was life in sclerosis and more dermatitis because she's postmenopause and everything. And I actually got a
call from her today and she was almost in tears saying like, thank you so much. Like you took the time and the care to actually come and talk to me about this. And she's like, I've been dealing with this for years and no one's like was listening. So I think that's what I see and hear from you as well. And yeah, I just want to ask you what motivates you to show up with that same passion every day? Cause some days it's really hard. Let's be honest.
Speaker 1 (35:48.588)
it is. is absolutely. Some like, you know, yesterday I was so tired and I thought, no, I'm going to go and open the pharmacy and do whatever hours I can. I am looking for extra help. I was very, very blessed that two weeks ago I've had a great guy applying. I grabbed him straight away. He started, he's now in his second week and he's amazing. And I just feel I actually prayed. I prayed for it.
I his CV and he, you know, I'm a compounding pharmacy, right? I have a compounding pharmacy and I do need someone who's qualified and this guy's done all the qualifications. He's like my mirror image and I've attracted the right person because I persisted in what I want. Yeah, I'm looking for someone else, but yesterday I was tired. You know, the night before I was up a bit late, I had friends over. I still have a full social life. And I'm just, I just can't imagine living my life. You know, we're not going to be on this planet for very long.
We will be, and I just want to make every single moment count. I want to enjoy life to the fullest and deliver and do as much as I can. And I have a lot to give and I'm going to continue on giving it. But you know, while I was working yesterday, a lady came in from Hunter's Hill. She had a script to be compounded for a mouthwash. Her husband has been diagnosed with stage four cancer. He's going along cancer and he's started his chemotherapy, which is part of a trial.
And he's got a sore mouth and he needed dexamethasone mouthwash. And she needed it urgently because he was very uncomfortable as you know, the person is not well. And I said, look, you know what? I've got a formula. I'm going to make it now for you. You'll just have to take a seat and allow me to take, you know, the steps that are required because I can't skip any step when it comes to compounding. So I did the risk assessment for her. don't call it risk assessment because they all get scared.
I said, said, look, I've got to ask you a few questions. It's like 20 pages long, but that's all right. We have a chat, right? We don't really have. They said, can I just ask you a few questions? Do you mind? And they go, oh, no. said, oh, you're just saying, you have any allergies, any medications? And she goes, oh my God, he's on a lot of medication. I said, all right, that's fine. Can you take a photo and send them to me? Here's my email address. You know, I took her through all the steps and the processes and then she sent me the list from someone at home.
Speaker 1 (38:12.394)
I noted it down and I made it for her and she left and she's got a solution for her problem. And it was a Sunday, it was like around two o'clock by the time she left and I feel so good with myself helping someone who's unwell. And she's very kind, very, very polite, very appreciative. And that just gives you a lot more, you know, energy to continue on making a difference in her life and her life.
the life of her loved ones. So yeah, it's great. So yeah, the energy, the passion, but yeah, it does get tiring sometimes and you do get frustrated at times, but just continue going because you've got to focus on your purpose. Purpose is a lot more important than anything else. If you know, I was reading this thing the other day and when a lion is chasing a deer, often the deer wins because the deer is running for their lives.
That means purpose is a lot more important than the immediate goal because if the deer doesn't win, the deer would be gone.
Well Adele, I've really enjoyed our conversation and I think from you sharing your story, talking about like the resilience in building the pharmacies up from nothing, your contributions to the CPA and other advocacy work and your continued leadership and advocacy for the profession, even if it might not be in a official role, but you're certainly still fighting for pharmacists and improving our industry, which is really inspiring.
Speaker 2 (39:40.916)
Is there any final words or thoughts you'd like to share with our listeners before we wrap up today?
Sure, and thanks for the opportunity to do that podcast. Look, I just say to everybody, like whatever is your dream, whatever is your vision, just go and do it and you will make mistakes, but that's okay. You don't make mistakes, you don't make anything. Don't be afraid. Make sure the mistakes are calculated. If you're going to gamble, use $5, don't use like $500,000. And if you lose or anything like that, you just, you learn for next time. And it's not.
You
Speaker 1 (40:13.944)
You're not starting from scratch. You're starting from experience and that's really valuable. And like you, Krysti- Lee, you started from scratch and you're learning all the ups and downs of, you know, a startup. it's, the, what you're doing is, is new. And I love the, the fact that you're having the courage and the conviction.
to go for it, admire you and I encourage you to continue on going. And I'm going to be here, a friend to admire and applaud you every single time, even when you make mistakes, but that's okay. And I just say to everybody, just go for it, don't be afraid. And you can say anything, it's just in a delivery. So if you wanna talk to a patient or a patient being rude and violent and aggressive towards you and that will happen, it's okay, just be kind, be calm, listen to it, take a deep breath.
Sometimes say nothing just walk away. Just say thank you often I say to people thank you and walk away and People get agitated they get surprised they go. How come she's not saying anything. You're not saying anything Thank you. Have a great day. All the best. Okay. Wish him all the best It's a lot of karma, you know, it's the cause and effect whatever you give out comes back to you and
You know, the more you give positive stuff and supportive stuff is like, that's exactly what happened to me with why I was trying to fall pregnant. And the first time I tried, I fell pregnant and I was successful. And I fell pregnant with twins, a boy and a girl. I was done. I hate the jackpot. Maybe someone else will hate the jackpot as well. And you never know. If you never try, you never know.
You certainly did. Yeah, absolutely. I think that's really practical advice to all of our listeners. And also I want to remind everyone listening that your pharmacy career is about community, and passion. think they're the three themes that I've seen throughout our conversation today. So thank you so much Adele for joining us on the show today.
Speaker 1 (42:10.04)
Thank you so much, Krysti-Lee, and all the best.
Thanks for tuning in to Your Pharmacy Career Podcast, proudly sponsored by the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia. The PSA is committed to empowering pharmacists through advocacy, innovation and industry-leading professional development. To become a member or learn more about how the PSA can support your career, visit www.psa.org.au. Don't forget to subscribe, share this podcast with your colleagues and join us next time as we continue to explore your pharmacy career journey.
Final Thoughts
Adele Tahan’s story is a powerful reminder that community pharmacy is about much more than dispensing scripts. It’s about heart, hustle, and having the courage to stand for what matters—whether in Parliament House or behind the dispensary counter.
For Australian community pharmacists dreaming of ownership, craving meaningful advocacy, or just looking for that next spark of inspiration—this episode delivers. It highlights the real-world challenges and rewards of a career built on care, courage, and community.
And if you’re looking for a pharmacy job you love, remember that Raven’s Recruitment has supported pharmacists like Adele for over 30 years with expert career advice and locum placement services tailored to your goals.
What legacy do you want to leave in community pharmacy?
